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Forum to discuss how baby boomers can use technology to enhance health

A forum – Boomers, Technology, and Health: Consumers Taking Charge – will be offered from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Jan. 19 at the Museum of History and Industry in Seattle.

Technology can help boomers who want to reduce the cost and inconvenience of doctor visits, delay or be active in retirement, take care of their aging parents, and age independently in their own homes themselves, say the sponsors of the forum, the MIT Enterprise Forum of the NW.

Mobile, wireless, social, and data technologies can provide a range of patient-centered, cost-reducing, and time-saving health management options for the benefit of consumers. These technologies also can be valuable to caregivers, health care providers, employers, taxpayers, and the healthcare industry.

“Boomers are unlike any previous mid-life generation in terms of population size, spending power, tech-savvy, and independent spirit,” said Michael Gallelli, coordinator of the forum. “Our event will explore how this so-called Sandwich Generation will demand and drive the personalization of health and wellness, and what role mobile, social networking, and data technologies will play in the use of connected health products by boomers and their families.”

The forum panel – moderated by Frank Catalano, principal at Intrinsic Strategy – will discuss from a consumer and technology point of view how various technologies will come together to deliver health solutions for baby boomers. Panelists include:

A report prepared by the MIT Enterprise Forum of the NW for the Jan. 19 forum shows that U.S. baby boomers will play a key role in the adoption of technology-enabled health products for personal use.

Challenges to be address in the development and use of this technology include business model viability, data accuracy, behavioral challenges, and privacy concerns.

Currently, 17 percent of the nation’s GDP is spent on health care. With the doubling of the population age 65 and older, driven by 78 million aging boomers, technology will be an important tool for managing chronic disease conditions associated with age, addressing medical personnel and senior care housing shortages, lessening family caretaker pressures, and encouraging self-care and health awareness, according to the report.

The report also points out that Washington and Oregon can become a center for health technology due to the software, mobile, research, senior care, and policy expertise available in regional institutional and business communities.

The report outlines several business opportunity areas, including personal health analytics and management, medication adherence, remote and mobile monitoring and tracking, social health and wellness communities, and robotics software.

Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate.